Daily Choices

Compost Kitchen Waste + Yard Trim

Compost is the foundation of a healthy, sustainable lawn and garden.

There’s gold in your garbage! Black gold, that is. All of your non-meat food waste — from coffee grounds and eggshells to vegetable scraps, pasta and bread — and much of your lawn waste, can be turned into rich compost for your lawn and garden. It’s easy to do and saves money on fertilizers and other amendments.

Much of the 1,606 pounds of garbage each person creates every year (2013 EPA estimate) is organic and can be composted, saving space in landfills and keeping our waste water cleaner and easier to purify. All you need is a small, 3’x3’ corner of your yard.

What about rodents getting into my compost bin?

The most important step to keep vermin out of your compost is never to put meat or meat byproducts (oils, fat) in your compost pile. A properly blended compost pile will have few rodent problems.

If you do have a problem that bothers you, follow these simple steps. First, bury the bottom lip of the bin under the soil surface. Second, keep all lids and doors (if your bin has them) securely fastened and/or locked (some thieves like raccoons, can easily work latches). Third, when adding food scraps, make a depression in the middle of the pile and cover the scraps with other non-food material.

If at all possible, avoid using poisons as a means of control; instead, try predator urine, used kitty litter, hot pepper wax, or peppermint extract. As a last resort, purchase a few humane rodent traps that allow for release elsewhere.

What are some of the benefits of composting?

Compost is the single best way to improve the overall health of your soil, and thereby anything you want to grow in it. Working compost into your garden beds improves soil “tilth,” its overall structure and key to its water holding/drainage abilty. It reduces need for watering, fertilizers, and pesticides, which helps you save money at the garden center and keeps chemical inputs out of our streams and the Chesapeake Bay.

Composting also diverts organic material from landfills, helping reduce resources needed by trash truck and waste facilities. And, if you have a septic system, removing solids from your drain and avoiding the garbage disposal may help protect your system from damage.

Adriano — Animal waste can contain helpful nutrients and also some stuff that you wouldn’t want to contaminate your good compost. There are resources for composting animal waste such as http://www.compostguy.com/composting/pet-waste-composting/ and http://cityfarmer.org/petwaste.html that encourage composters to design a separate system for animal or pet waste. Once the animal compost process runs its course the material can be mixed with top soil and added to ornamental plants located away from any food producing plants.

Hello. Does anyone know if there is a place in Montgomery County where I can drop off food waste for recycling. We don’t have time to do this ourself but I hate to throw all these food scraps away. I know there are companies that will pick up food waste from your home (Compost Cab) but they are too expensive. Thanks!

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My Green Montgomery is a project of the Montgomery County Department of Environmental Protection. It is a service to help Montgomery County residents think and live in a way that safeguards and sustains the health of our people, our county, and the planet.